South Korea has witnessed what local media is calling the “divorce of the century when the country’s Supreme Court has ordered Chey Tae-won, billionaire chairman of memory chip giant SK Hynix, to pay $644 million to his ex-wife Roh So-young, the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo.
According to foreign media reports, the Supreme Court reduced the settlement amount on Chey Tae-won’s appeal. In 2024, the Seoul High Court had ordered him to pay $940 million to his former wife.
The court ruled that Roh So-young should receive a cash settlement equivalent to roughly one-third of the couple’s joint marital assets. Local media described the ruling as the most expensive divorce in South Korea’s last 100 years.
However, legal experts say the decision is not yet final, as both parties retain the right to appeal again to the Supreme Court.
Chey Tae-won and Roh So-young were married in 1988. After their relationship broke down, Chey filed for divorce in 2017 following failed mediation efforts. The case has been contested in various courts since 2022.
Read also: RoboCup-2026 begins in South Korea
